We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 11

It was the first time Qin Zheng had called Tao Ying by name. Even the wind couldn’t cool the heat in the way he said it, a low burn that caught at the heart.

Nor did that heat fade because of the strange man nearby.

Qin Zheng watched Tao Ying closely, waiting for her answer. He couldn’t explain it, but something about the man made him deeply uncomfortable.

“He lives upstairs.”

“That’s all?” Her three concise words left Qin Zheng at a loss.

She didn’t know his name? His family situation?

Tao Ying looked up at him. “All I know is that he lives above me.”

She had never been interested in people or things that had nothing to do with her. Knowing where he lived was already more than usual.

“Do you run into him often?” Qin Zheng’s brows were drawn, his expression serious.

“Not often.” Tao Ying shook her head. Understanding what he meant, she added, “I’ll be careful. Don’t worry, Boss Qin.”

Qin Zheng had nothing to say to that.

If the man truly meant her harm, no amount of worrying would be enough. But given his current relationship with Tao Ying, Qin Zheng had no right to tell her to move.

Saying too much would only annoy her.

He took a small resealable parts bag from his coat pocket. Tao Ying’s pearl earring rested inside.

She accepted it and thanked him.

Qin Zheng glanced at the black stairwell. “I’ll walk you up. It’s too dark.”

“No need. I only live on the third floor.” With her phone for light, she could be there in moments. There was no reason to make him go up and down again.

Qin Zheng laughed, making no effort to hide it.

“What are you laughing at?” Tao Ying found him baffling.

He raised a brow. “The first time I drove you home, you said you lived on the first floor.”

“…It never hurts to be cautious.”

“Exactly. It never hurts to be cautious.” Qin Zheng pointed toward the stairwell, using her own words to insist. “I’ll walk you up.”

He had come all this way to deliver the earring. Tao Ying couldn’t bring herself to reject another kindness.

Perhaps everyone in business was this good at making customers feel cared for.

For one moment, she considered changing her mind and buying a prepaid service package at his shop. Then she dismissed the idea.

Qin Zheng switched on his phone flashlight. As they climbed, he asked, “Has no one in the complex ever thought of installing lights here?”

“I think it’s been like this for years. No one wants to take responsibility.”

“Didn’t you notice when you viewed the apartment?” He didn’t think this place was suitable for a woman living alone.

“I came during the day.”

After arguing with Li Meijuan, Tao Ying had moved out that very night. She spent two weeks making do in a hotel and grew desperate from apartment hunting. When she finally found a place that suited her in nearly every way, she rented it. The other small flaws no longer seemed important.

If she wanted somewhere comfortable within a reasonable commuting distance, a one-bedroom apartment would cost at least five thousand a month. She was still paying off her car loan.

In the blink of an eye, they reached the third floor. Tao Ying unlocked her door.

“I’ll go, then.” Qin Zheng knew his boundaries. “Those two doors of yours are at least secure.”

Tao Ying smiled and said goodbye.

After he left, she returned the earring to its original box.

Once April began, Tao Ying became so busy she could barely keep her feet on the ground. Foundation courses filled her schedule, while hand-drawn assignments arrived in a flood. Critiquing drafts, class evaluations, and departmental meetings all piled up at once. None of it was easy.

Outside the university, she completed narration for another volunteer project. She didn’t even have time to meet the PE teacher Li Meili had found for her.

Only late in the month did her workload begin to ease.

During a moment of idleness, she opened WeChat. All the accounts she had muted had sent messages. Zhengtu Auto Repair had sent three: one friendly everyday reminder and two promotions. The chirpy tone made it obvious that Xiao Fang had written them.

Tao Ying smiled, then browsed other apps for a while.

“Ms. Tao, would you have dinner with me?” Ms. Qu approached her with a pleading expression. “There’s something I’d like your advice on.”

As a newcomer, she was still adjusting to many things.

“Sure.” Tao Ying stood. “The cafeteria?”

“A creative Korean restaurant just opened on Wutong Road. My treat.” Ms. Qu beamed.

“Doesn’t it usually have a line?” Tao Ying hesitated.

She passed the restaurant on her way home, and every evening the queue stretched far outside.

“We won’t have to wait. I already booked a table. Ms. Li was supposed to come too, but she got a call and left.”

“All right. I’ll drive you home afterward.”

“Thank you, Ms. Tao.”

Ms. Qu’s given name was Le—joy—and she lived up to it, smiling from morning to night.

Tao Ying drove, and they reached the new restaurant in a little over ten minutes. There really was a crowd waiting outside. With no spaces nearby, Tao Ying parked farther away.

As they walked up to the entrance, Qu Le suddenly nudged her, excitement in her voice. “Ms. Tao, is that Boss Qin?”

Tao Ying followed her gesture. Qin Zheng sat on a bench with his long legs stretched out, his back against the wall.

Everyone else was sitting the same way, yet he alone drew every eye.

Girls nearby kept glancing at him, huddling together and whispering.

They hadn’t seen each other in more than half a month, yet Qin Zheng’s features hadn’t blurred in Tao Ying’s mind. If anything, they had grown more distinct. Still, the time apart made him feel unfamiliar again.

At that moment, Qin Zheng seemed to sense her gaze and looked up.

The instant he saw her, his eyes fixed. The surrounding noise seemed to drop away.

After a moment, he rose without hurry.

He walked over. “It’s been a while, Ms. Tao.”

“Ah,” Tao Ying said reflexively. “It has.”

He couldn’t very well keep staring, even in the dim evening light. He shifted his gaze aside, then nodded a greeting to Qu Le.

“This is Ms. Qu,” Tao Ying introduced them without thinking.

“Hello, Boss Qin.” Qu Le noticed the number ticket in his hand. “Are you waiting for a table?”

He smiled. “Yes. I heard a good restaurant opened here and came to try it. I forgot to reserve.”

It was true that he had forgotten. The fuller truth was that he wanted to sample the food, and if it was good, find an opportunity to bring Tao Ying.

He had nothing else to do tonight and had willingly joined the line. He hadn’t expected the bonus.

“Why don’t you join us?” Qu Le couldn’t bear to leave such a handsome man waiting. “I happened to reserve for three.”

Tao Ying felt Qu Le squeeze her arm and turned. Her colleague was asking permission with her eyes.

They barely knew each other. Why would she—

Tao Ying paused. Did Qu Le truly like Qin Zheng?

Looking closer, she found a trace of shyness in the younger woman’s eyes.

Naturally, Tao Ying wouldn’t stand in her way. She nodded. “You’re paying, so it’s your decision.”

“What do you think, Boss Qin?” Qu Le asked. “My parents are buying me a car soon, and I’m overwhelmed by the choices. This is the perfect chance to ask you.”

It wasn’t entirely appropriate, but…

Qin Zheng glanced at Tao Ying and laughed. “Then I’d be rude to refuse.”

Qu Le gave their reservation number, and the server showed them to a table for four. The two women naturally sat together. Broad and tall, Qin Zheng occupied the opposite side alone, directly across from Tao Ying.